RED SNAPPER Red Snapper inhabit offshore waters where they suspend over wrecks, reefs and channel drops in deep water. Red Snapper is a common species targeted by charter boats...Read More View All Snapper Tips

 

The various species of snapper all have commonalities when it comes to hauling them in. To increase your odds of edging out the competition, either on a party boat or with a few friends, give these tips a try.

Wait for the second bite. The snapper may hit the bait one time. If you strike the fish, you'll miss it. However, if you wait on the second bite, by that time the snapper may have the whole bait in its mouth. Then you'll have a better chance of getting a good hook set.

Fish with a circle hook to connect the easiest with snapper. When you use this type hook, don't jerk to set the hook. But, as you feel the snapper biting, begin to reel down slowly, and continue to reel as you feel the weight of the fish. The design of the circle hook will enable the fish to set the hook itself. If you jerk, you'll pull the hook out of the snapper's mouth.

Keep a deck rod handy with saltwater spinning tackle and 20- to 30-pound-test line that’s rigged with live bait or a dead cigar minnow. Many times when you fish for red snapper, big black snapper will come up behind the boat. By having a deck rod rigged and baited with no weight, you can cast through them and catch them.

Use big baits for large snapper like a fillet of northern mackerel, a squid pie, a large pinfish or a beeliner. Big snapper generally prefer large baits.

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